Today, Chicago Breathes Pickleball With the APP Vlasic Classic
Today, August 6, the north shores of Lake Michigan come alive with the rhythm of a dink once again. Since 2019, Chicago has been home to the world's first and best professional pickleball tour, and this week the APP Tour returns in full force — two events, four days of action at Danny Cunniff Park in Highland Park, and a cause that gives real weight to every single point played.
A final that sounds different: every rally counts double
Tonight kicks off the Shriners Children's APP Pro Invitational, an exhibition format where eight mixed doubles pairings face off under rules built for speed — strict time limits, no timeouts, the return of the Power Play Token. But what truly sets this night apart isn't the clock, it's the purpose: the APP will donate $100 for every point scored during the event, straight to Shriners Children's. In Chicago, today, even the most seemingly meaningless point on the scoreboard carries weight that goes beyond the court.
And it's no ordinary week in the city: the APP Vlasic Classic Chicago is a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event — whoever takes gold locks in their spot at the 2026 USA Pickleball National Championships.
The story everyone will be watching: Megan Fudge, one gold from immortality
If there's a single thread that's going to keep the pickleball community glued to their screens all week, it's this one. Megan Fudge is already, officially, the APP Tour's all-time leader in total career medals, with 89 — a record she set right here, in Cincinnati, this very same event, just a year ago. With 32 career golds, Fudge is one gold medal away from tying Simone Jardim as the woman with the most professional gold medals in circuit history.
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That's not a small detail. It's the kind of number that separates the great from the legendary — and Fudge, a former college tennis standout at Illinois-Urbana Champaign before finding pickleball, is one match away from writing her name right next to Jardim's in the sport's record books.
The internationals arrive hungry
The recent Asia Tour podium transfers straight to Illinois. Roos van Reek, the Dutch player who claimed a Triple Crown at the Leapmotor APP Asia Penang Open, arrives in Chicago carrying that same momentum — the same player who just weeks ago left the entire Asian pickleball community stunned. Alongside her, Quang Duong of Vietnam joins with two golds and a silver from that very same tournament. And making her APP Tour debut is a player already making noise on the junior circuit: Nicola Schoeman of Australia, DUPR's No. 1-ranked junior pro.
Bobbi Oshiro, the quiet queen of the medal count
She gave herself the nickname after taking home three bronze medals in Cincinnati: "Triple Bronze Baddie Bobbi." It might sound like a joke, but the numbers don't lie — with those three medals, the Hawaii native reached seven medals on the season, the highest total across the entire professional circuit, men's and women's combined. No one has been more consistent in 2026 than she has.
The hometown hero looking to do it again in front of his own crowd
Ammar Wazir, born in Hoffman Estates just outside Chicago and a former college tennis player at Illinois-Chicago, won a dramatic men's singles final in 2025 — right here, in front of his own people. Now he returns to Highland Park with the same goal: defend the crown at home, with the kind of emotional edge only a local player can carry into a tournament like this one.
The duo chasing the three-peat
Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. arrive as the hottest pairing in men's doubles right now — back-to-back golds, the most recent in Cincinnati, and they already won both the men's and mixed titles in Chicago last year. If they repeat this week, they complete a three-peat that puts them, without exaggeration, among the best runs the circuit has ever seen. Munro also arrives tied for the lead in men's golds this season with three titles.
What's coming, day by day
Wednesday & Thursday: Pro Invitational (7:45 pm ET) — men's and women's singles, Masters 50+ mixed, amateur women's doubles
Friday: mixed pro doubles, AARP Champions and Masters categories, Humana Cup 50+
Saturday: men's and women's pro doubles, AARP categories
Sunday: Championship Sunday — the gold and bronze finals that close it all out
All the action streams live on APPTV via YouTube, with Lawrencia Moten and Sam Brief calling it from Championship Court.
Chicago is already breathing pickleball. The question now is whether Megan Fudge is going to make history this very week — and whether anyone is going to be there to stop her.
Today, August 6, the north shores of Lake Michigan come alive with the rhythm of a dink once again. Since 2019, Chicago has been home to the world's first and best professional pickleball tour, and this week the APP Tour returns in full force — two events, four days of action at Danny Cunniff Park in Highland Park, and a cause that gives real weight to every single point played.
A final that sounds different: every rally counts double
Tonight kicks off the Shriners Children's APP Pro Invitational, an exhibition format where eight mixed doubles pairings face off under rules built for speed — strict time limits, no timeouts, the return of the Power Play Token. But what truly sets this night apart isn't the clock, it's the purpose: the APP will donate $100 for every point scored during the event, straight to Shriners Children's. In Chicago, today, even the most seemingly meaningless point on the scoreboard carries weight that goes beyond the court.
And it's no ordinary week in the city: the APP Vlasic Classic Chicago is a USA Pickleball Golden Ticket event — whoever takes gold locks in their spot at the 2026 USA Pickleball National Championships.
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The story everyone will be watching: Megan Fudge, one gold from immortality
If there's a single thread that's going to keep the pickleball community glued to their screens all week, it's this one. Megan Fudge is already, officially, the APP Tour's all-time leader in total career medals, with 89 — a record she set right here, in Cincinnati, this very same event, just a year ago. With 32 career golds, Fudge is one gold medal away from tying Simone Jardim as the woman with the most professional gold medals in circuit history.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
That's not a small detail. It's the kind of number that separates the great from the legendary — and Fudge, a former college tennis standout at Illinois-Urbana Champaign before finding pickleball, is one match away from writing her name right next to Jardim's in the sport's record books.
The internationals arrive hungry
The recent Asia Tour podium transfers straight to Illinois. Roos van Reek, the Dutch player who claimed a Triple Crown at the Leapmotor APP Asia Penang Open, arrives in Chicago carrying that same momentum — the same player who just weeks ago left the entire Asian pickleball community stunned. Alongside her, Quang Duong of Vietnam joins with two golds and a silver from that very same tournament. And making her APP Tour debut is a player already making noise on the junior circuit: Nicola Schoeman of Australia, DUPR's No. 1-ranked junior pro.
Bobbi Oshiro, the quiet queen of the medal count
She gave herself the nickname after taking home three bronze medals in Cincinnati: "Triple Bronze Baddie Bobbi." It might sound like a joke, but the numbers don't lie — with those three medals, the Hawaii native reached seven medals on the season, the highest total across the entire professional circuit, men's and women's combined. No one has been more consistent in 2026 than she has.
The hometown hero looking to do it again in front of his own crowd
Ammar Wazir, born in Hoffman Estates just outside Chicago and a former college tennis player at Illinois-Chicago, won a dramatic men's singles final in 2025 — right here, in front of his own people. Now he returns to Highland Park with the same goal: defend the crown at home, with the kind of emotional edge only a local player can carry into a tournament like this one.
The duo chasing the three-peat
Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. arrive as the hottest pairing in men's doubles right now — back-to-back golds, the most recent in Cincinnati, and they already won both the men's and mixed titles in Chicago last year. If they repeat this week, they complete a three-peat that puts them, without exaggeration, among the best runs the circuit has ever seen. Munro also arrives tied for the lead in men's golds this season with three titles.
What's coming, day by day
Wednesday & Thursday: Pro Invitational (7:45 pm ET) — men's and women's singles, Masters 50+ mixed, amateur women's doubles
Friday: mixed pro doubles, AARP Champions and Masters categories, Humana Cup 50+
Saturday: men's and women's pro doubles, AARP categories
Sunday: Championship Sunday — the gold and bronze finals that close it all out
All the action streams live on APPTV via YouTube, with Lawrencia Moten and Sam Brief calling it from Championship Court.
Chicago is already breathing pickleball. The question now is whether Megan Fudge is going to make history this very week — and whether anyone is going to be there to stop her.
